In an interview with
Tatler, Durek (real name Durek Verrett) said he encouraged the only
daughter of
King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway to get in touch with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after seeing the Harry
and Meghan: An African Journey
documentary that aired earlier this year. In
it, the couple shared the frustrations and media scrutiny they’ve been dealing
with since they started dating.

“I told my girlfriend to reach out to them, so we can all
have a family pow-wow because they’re cousins,” Durek told
Tatler. “The fascinating thing is that I
had maybe seven meltdowns, and then I learned very quickly, thanks to my
girlfriend and her family, that this is a crash course and you need to learn
how to deal with this.”

Like Meghan, Durek has had to quickly adapt to dating a
member of a royal family, and he’s also American. Their relationship has been the subject of
extensive press coverage since the two revealed they were dating earlier this
year. The princess also
received criticism for using her title in a series of
seminars hosted with her boyfriend over the summer. She had teamed up with him
for workshops called “The Princess and the Shaman” that were intended to take
those who took part on a journey of “self-discovery.”

In an Instagram post
announcing their happy news in May, Märtha
Louise praised her boyfriend, who she called her “twin flame” while also clapping
back at those who were criticizing their relationship.

“He has made me realize that unconditional love actually
exists here on this planet,” she wrote. “He embraces all of me without question
or fear. He makes me laugh more than anyone, has the most profound wisdom to
share and all the bits in between from the diversity of his being. I feel so
happy and blessed that he is my boyfriend. Thank you my love, for including me
so generously into your family. I love you from this eternity to the next.

“And to those of you who feel the need to criticize: Hold
your horses,” she continued. “It is not up to you to choose for me or to judge
me. I don’t choose my man to satisfy any of you or the norms or boxes you have
chosen in your mind for me to be in. I don’t thrive there, nor do I exist in
your illusion about me. I choose from love. And that’s it. Shaman Durek is
merely a man I love spending my time with and who fulfills me. So thank you for
respecting my actions and my choice of partner. All I know at this moment is
that we love each other and I am super happy.”

Meghan and Harry are currently on a six-week extended break
from royal duties, and are rumoured to be travelling to the United States to
spend American Thanksgiving with
Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mother. They’re also going
to spend Christmas with her, though it is unclear whether they will do so in
the US or at their home of Frogmore Cottage.

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